


When duty calls

by dromlex



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Male Character, Brothers, Drama, Family Drama, Father-Son Relationship, Gay Male Character, Head of the Institute Alec Lightwood, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, M/M, Magic, Malec, Parents Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Magnus Bane, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, Warlocks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-05-20 07:25:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19372027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dromlex/pseuds/dromlex
Summary: What happens when Magnus and Alec return from a mission and can't find their sons anywhere in the house?





	1. Chapter 1

"Dad" Rafael whined and looked up at his father, his cheeks flushed. "You are not supposed to embarrass me. That's Papa job" he complained.

Alec grinned at his son's reaction and glanced at Magnus who was just trying not to laugh at the situation. Rafael sighed dramatically and crossed his arms above his chest, looking at both of them, showing clearly discomfort.

"Don't be overdramatic, Dad was just…" Max was cut off by a hand smacking the back of his head. "Mean…" He groaned, one of his hands going to massage the spot his brother had hit.

Magnus settled a hand on Rafale's shoulder and squeezed it softly. "Your dad was simply telling a story. No need to get mad at him" he spoke gently and then pointed at Max, "or hit your brother" he added.

"He can tell stories that don't include me" He growled as he shoved Magnus's hand off. "I'm not some toy for your amusement" He moved away from his father.

"Nobody said that baby" Alec smiled at his son and walked closer, trying to reach his hand but the boy just kept stepping backwards. 

"Don't fucking call me that, I'm not a little boy anymore" he snapped.

"Watch it, Rafael" Magnus warned, his voice stern now.

The 16-years-old boy rolled his eyes and huffed. "I can't say the truth now?"

"You can say whatever you want as long as you respect us" he looked at Alec who just nodded in agreement, confused at his son's behavior.

"Yeah, yeah... Whatever you say, old man" he mumbled and his brother elbowed him. Rafe looked down at him with a raised brow in a questioning look. “What?”

Max sighed and motioned to his parents and then looked at his brother in disbelief. “You’re gonna get yourself in trouble” he whispered.

Rafael gazed at his parents who were already giving them looks and pressed his lips together. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you” he said as he wrapped an arm around his brother shoulder, pulling him close “or hit you…”

Max smiled and quickly dragged his brother out of the living room before Magnus or Alec could say anything.

Magnus laid down on the sofa and turned on his side, pressing his back against its back cushion. He conjured a throw pillow and rested his head on it.

“Do you think we should…?” Alec laid down as well, placing his head on Magnus chest and let his husband wrap and arm around him.

“What? Punish him?” Magus just shook his head. “But if you want to give him some sort of talk I won’t stop you” he shrugged. “I mean they’re teenagers. They’re gonna argue and disagree with us. We just have to be patient and not let them get into our nerves”

“I know…” he let out a sigh, “What if we can’t be good parents?”

“Alexander, love” the warlock whispered softly as he caressed Alec’s back. “You’re thinking about it too much” he gently pressed his lips against his forehead.

The shadowhunter closed his eyes and relaxed his body as he listened to Magnus’ heartbeat to calm himself down. He began to play with Magnus shirt and unconsciously unbuttoned some of its buttons. The older chuckled, looking down at him. “Maybe you would like me to take it off?” he suggested, earning his attention.

“Yes, please” he quickly nodded, looking at him with inquisitive eyes.

With a snap of his fingers, the warlock made his shirt disappear. He lifted Alec’s chin up using one finger and crashed their lips together.

 

***

 

“So? Are you gonna tell me what’s really bothering you?” Max questioned his brother once they entered their room. They slept in the same room since they were toddlers and had decided to keep it that way.

“Nothing’s ‘really bothering me’ as you say” Rafael threw himself onto his bed.

“I know you, Rafe” Max rubbed his eyes tiredly, “I’m the one who always get us in trouble. You’re the one who try not to do that?” he narrowed his eyes, unsure of his own words. “I mean you follow the rules better than me” he shrugged and sat down on the carpet.

“Are you trying to say that I am some sort of soldier? Because I’m not” he frowned, having been told that several times from olderShadowhunters.

“I didn’t say that…” he shook his head and turned the PlayStation on. “Wanna play with me? Uncle Simon got us a new game”

“Dad told us to throw that thing away” he pointed out.

“See? I told you, you follow the rules” he smirked. Rafe throw him a pillow and quickly sat next to his brother. “Papa said we could keep it and that he would convince dad”

“Just like that?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Of course not, don’t be stu-silly” when he finished explaining his brother what his papa had said, he conjured some snacks. “Ready?”

 

***

 

“God, Magnus, stop it” Alec breathed out against Magnus neck. He had taken his t-shirt off when they were making out.

“Why? You don’t like it?” he let out a chuckle and squeezed his husband’s ass softly.

“I-I…” the younger bit his bottom lip hard to stop a moan that was about to scape his mouth. “We’re in the living room and the kids are in their room”

“Fine” Magnus sighed dramatically and moved his hand to Alec’s side. “Just kissing and cuddling, I get it, you’re boring” he teased.

“What?!” Alec frowned as he sat up, looking down at Magnus.

“You are boring” he repeated slowly, a smirk forming on his lips. “You aren’t adventurous and that’s perfectly fine."

“Magnus” Alec pressed his body against Magnus's groin, his legs wrapping around his sides as he placed his palms on his chest.

The warlock sighed in relief, he had gotten the reaction he wanted. “Tell me, Alexander”

“Shut up and kiss me” as soon as Alec said the words, Magnus grabbed him by the neck and pulled him in for a peck on the lips, which quickly became a desperate kiss.

That had been one of the quietest afternoon the whole family had had in weeks. The kids had stayed in the bedroom playing videogames as their parents spent it kissing and cuddling on the sofa, an activity both adults enjoyed but couldn’t do whenever they wanted due to duty.

They ate dinner in peace, no interruptions from the institute or arguments between them. When they finished, the warlocks went to Magnus’s office, whilst the shadowhunters stayed in the kitchen. 

 

***

  
“Is there something bothering you? You haven’t been yourself lately and I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it” Alec offered in a soft tone, placing the last dishes in the sink.

“I’d rather speak to Papa” Rafael mumbled with a shrug, immediately regreting his words. He didn’t want to hurt his dad, but he  wasn't ready to talk to him yet chose to remain silent.

Alec nodded. He felt a little hurt at his son’s words but didn’t let it show. He wouldn’t be affected so easily, he couldn’t be. He had learned that over the years. “Okay.” He finally said.

“Dad, I…” Rafael began, but the sound of Alec’s phone ringing made him stop. He stared at his father while he spoke. He caught the words ‘demon’ ‘accident’ and ‘emergency’ so he assumed his father had to leave and sighed. “Can I go with you?” he asked cautiously.

“No” he simply answered.

“Why not?” Rafael frowned.

“It’s dangerous” when he noticed that his son was going to argue back, he took a deep breath and spoke first, “You aren’t ready for this kind of mission Rafael, we’ve talked about this” his tone was calm but stern, showing him that there was no room for an argument. 

“But dad” he whined and looked up at him. “I’m capable of-“ he stopped when his father held his finger up to shush him.

“You can’t, that’s my last word” he raised his voice just a little. He turned around to walk out of the kitchen when his son’s words forced him go back in his tracks, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Come again?”

“If this is because of Max, your brother, you need to know that I’m not him” Rafael knew that he shouldn’t been bringing that up, but the words wouldn't stop slipping out of his mouth. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me. You can’t protect me forever” he stated.

Alec stared at him and shook his head in disbelief. When his brother died, he had decided he wouldn’t let that happen to his kids or to younger shadowhunters. He would try to protect them all, and mostly his own kids so they wouldn’t go into the field unless it was completely necessary, which wasn’t the case.

“I’m not discussing this further” he rubbed his temple tiredly.

“I’m not an inexpert little boy like he was, I can take care of myself” he mumbled annoyed.

_That’s it, I’ve had enough_ , Alec thought to himself. He grabbed Rafael by his arm and pulled him closer. “I’m your father and head of the institute, I decide what you can or can’t do. And when I say no, it means no, Rafael. And brining my brother to this conversation is not gonna do anything but make this worse. So please just drop it”

“I just wanna go on a mission, that’s all. And you’re preventing me of it like you always do!” he practically growled. “It’s not my fault your brother is dead, you know? Maybe you’re just guilty that you couldn’t protect and take care of him properly” he froze at his own words, what the hell was he doing?

Alec tightened the grip around his son’s arm, looking at him with anger although his eyes were slightly sad now. “I’ve had enough. Go to your room” he said sternly, letting go of him and pushing him gently yo get him to move.

“Dad I-“ Rafael bowed his head down, how was he going to apologize after that? How was he going to fix that?

“Cut it. Don’t speak. Just go” he ordered.

Rafael bit his trembling lip hard and blinked rapidly to prevent the tears that were forming in his eyes from falling. He rushed to his room and slammed the door as hard as he could.

Alec quickly composed himself, inhaling deeply and choosing to focus on the demon attack. He had to help Jace and Izzy, he would worry about his feelings later. His son's words felt worse than a stab on his chest, it was one of the most sensitive topics to him. 

 

***

  
Max scrunched his nose, his potion smelled and looked terrible. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong, he had followed all of his father instructions, maybe he had gotten a little distracted but not when it was a crucial part or at least that’s what he thought.

“You have to start it all over again”

“It’s boring. I don’t like it”

“You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it”

“Can’t we practice a spell? Or a way to create an actual portal? Though I almost got it last time.” Max pleaded, looking at him with puppy eyes. “Please, please, please” he pouted.

Magnus sighed, how could he say 'no' to that? He shook his head to himself, Max had been avoiding potions for the last weeks. “Potions are important, blue” he said patiently. “We’ll do some magic tomorrow morning, how does that sound?”

“Fine” the young warlock let out a disappointed sigh and looked down at his cauldron with a frown. With a snap of his finger it was clean again. He took the book and huffed loudly. “I suck at this Papa” he threw it to the floor.

“You just need more practice, that’s all” Magnus picked up the book and placed it on the table. “Remember when you were seven? You brew a potion on your own and I was so proud of you. Not anyone can do that at such young age, especially when you can barely read” he smiled fondly at the memory.

“I remember” he nodded, “This place was a completely mess” he chuckled softly.

“That was… a mishap” he opened the book one more time, “I’m not asking you to be an expert. I’m asking you to know the basics” he tried again.

“Okay”

“But if you don’t feel like it, we can try tomorrow”

“Nope. You promised magic tomorrow”

Magnus chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair. At the same time, his phone emitted a weird sound that Alexander had picked for him in case there was an emergency. He sighed and looked at the texts he had.

“Blue, we’ll continue tomorrow. I’ve gotta go help your dad kill some demons” he opened a portal and walked through it after his son gave him a nod.

Max wasted no time in 'cleaning' the room, he actually just snapped his fingers, but it usually took him a long time before he realized where he was supposed to put each stuff.  He called his brother’s name out loud and frowned when he didn’t get an answer, had his presence been required? He let out a long sigh and headed to his room.

He grabbed the door knob and his hand froze at the sound of muffled cries. He bit his bottom lip debating whether if he should come in or not, he hadn’t heard his brother crying like that in a long time. Had something happened? Why didn’t he notice that his brother was upset earlier? Sure he had had a little fight with dad but that wouldn’t make him _that_ sad, would it? Then it suddenly clicked, his dad and Rafael had stayed alone in the kitchen, he assumed they would be talking, like always, but then he remember hearing a door slamming and hand't really paid much attention to it.

“Rafe?” he knocked on the door. “Are you ok?” he asked, still unsure of what to do next. He knew his brother eventually would open up to him, but lately he hadn't been talking about his feelings, not even with Max.

“I’m fine. You can come in” his brother’s response came out so low he had barely heard it.  Max opened the door and turned the light on when he stepped inside. “Wanna talk about it?”

“It’s nothing. It was stupid. Don’t worry about it”

_Sure it was_ , Max restricted himself from rolling his eyes at his brother. He could clearly see his puffy and red eyes but decided not to say anything.

“Papa’s gone with dad. They won’t be home ‘till late. Maybe I could portal us somewhere you’d like to go?”

Rafael shrugged and straightened himself up, he looked down at his lap taking a deep breath. He tried to avoid his brother gaze as much as he could, he didn't want to explain him what had happened yet, knowing he would get mad at him. Max was overprotective when it came to Alec, as was Rafael when it came to Magnus.

"...to Buenos Aires if you want" Max offered him, but the last part seemed to wake Rafe up from his daydreaming.

"Sorry I-what did you say?"

"I said I can portal us to Buenos Aires" he shrugged. "I know you've been wanting to go for a really long time and-"

"Really?" Rafael's eyes lit up at the thought as a bitterly smile that Max did not miss, appeared on his face. "I thought Papa said you can't create portals" he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well... I mean I can but not always. That's why he won't let me use them. But this will cheer you up"

"No. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me"

"I won't. They won't even realize we weren't home" he struggled to create a portal, earning a frown from his bother. "It's not that bad Rafe" Max pouted. "Come on" he motioned to it.

"It looks pretty unstable" Rafael quickly got on his feet.

"I'm going with or without you" he stated as he moved closer, Rafael quickly by his side to stop him from doing something stupid.

They let out a yelp of surprise when they fell to the ground and were being dragged by the portal. Purple sparkles of magic surrounding the two bodies and then it closed only to be re-opened in the middle of the living room of the apartment.

They were thrown to the floor, first Max, who fell on his back and then Rafael, landing on top of him, making the other groan in discomfort. The older stood up and help his brother do the same.

“I told you” Rafael sighed loudly as Max rolled his eyes at him.

“You just love saying that. Thank the angel we ended uo home,” he shrugged.

What neither of them realized straight away was that there were no family pictures hanging on the walls. The loft was decorated differently and there were no signs of teenagers living in the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Magnus couldn't stop the laughter escaping his mouth that could be practically heard in the entire building. His boyfriend was following him, head down and begging for the ground to swallow him, but he wasn't so lucky. His cheeks were bright pink, his whole body on fire as he was dying from embarrassment. He couldn't believe that that had happened to him, considering he was one of the best Shadowhunters and that he couldn't allow himself that kind of slips.

"If you don't stop blushing like that over insignificant mistakes, you're literally gonna die from embarrassment" Magnus said and turned around to look at his boyfriend who didn't dare to look at him just yet. Magnus sighed and slowly put a single finger under Alec's chin, forcing his head up to finally meet his beautiful hazel eyes.

"Magnus" Alexander whined loudly. He only did that when he was alone with his boyfriend, whom he was comfortable enough to show his truly self. He tried to avoid looking at his boyfriend's eyes, but it was an impossible task in that moment.

"You just tripped. That happens to everyone" he said softly as he slowly moved his hand to Alec's cheek, stroking it softly. Alec immediately melted into the touch, letting out a shaky breath as he closed his eyes. He was right, Magnus was always right.

"But- I'm a Shadowhunter I-I can't" he complained.

"You're part human and you're allowed to make 'mistakes', though it wasn't" he pressed his lips to Alec's when he realized the other was going to protest again.

"Why don't we go in and watch a movie?" he offered, opening the door of his loft with a snap of his fingers.

They entered the loft, walking straight to the living room and stopped when they saw two silhouettes standing in the middle of it. Alec quickly grabbed his bow and quiver as Magnus fingers were sparkling with blue traces of magic.

"Who are you? How did you get in here? Who sent you and what are yours busyness here?" Magnus asked, eyebrows raised as he stared at the boys, realizing one of them was a warlock since he had horns and blue skin but said nothing about it, as fas as he knew it could be a trick and he knew better than that..

Rafael and Max looked at each other and then at his parents in complete shock. What the hell was happening? Did their parents suddenly forgot they were their sons? Were they under some kind of weird spell? Were they glamoured people trying to get into the house?

Then, Rafael looked around and his eyes widened. He noticed that the place was different and that scared him, had they gone to a different universe? He shook his head, Max wasn't that powerful, was he? He turned to his brother, ignoring the grown-ups and whispered into his ear what his thoughts were.

"It-it can't be" Max managed to stuttered out.

"We're sorry. We c- we should go" Rafael's shaky hand quickly found his broter, trying to drag him out of the apartment.

"Not so fast" Magnus raised his wards up, the door slamming as it closed.

"My boyfriend asked you something. I suggest you to start talking" Alec spoke for the first time and the boys shivered. His dad never used that tone with them, not even when scolding them. Then Alec noticed one of them was a Shadowhunter, he had a deflected rune on his neck, just like Alec. "I'm Alec Lightwood. Head of the New York Institute. If you don't want me to inform you to The Clave, you better start cooperating" he spoke directly to the older boy who blinked in surprise. Alec didn't like the fact that he had just threatened a child but he needed answers.

"But we're yo-" Max was stopped by his brother elbowing his side as hard.

"I-I'm sorry sir" Rafael straightened up and looked at Alec, trying to come up with something. But it was practically impossible. "We got lost and-" he gulped and took a deep breath. "Please don't report us to The Clave. As you may perceive, he-" he pointed to his brother. "My brother is a warlock. We don't want to get separated" he wrapped an arm around his brother, pulling him close and hugging him in a protective way.

Alec didn't know why he lowered his weapon, he just did it. Magnus had dropped his hands as he was now blinking rapidly. A Shadowhunter and a Warlock were brothers? Was that even possible? The couple looked at each other and started whispering.

"Please don't break us apart" Max begged. They had been whispering for the past few minutes and he couldn't even catch a word.

"We won't. But we need to know how and why you are here, otherwise we can't help you" Magnus gave them a little smile. He wasn't quite sure yet about what to do with them, but he couldn't just throw them out. He wasn't that cruel, not with kids.

"We can't. It's dangerous"

"I'm the High Warlock and he's the Head of the Institute. You'll be safe" he assured them.

"Maybe we could talk about it while we eat some snacks. You must be hungry" Alec offered and Magnus frowned at him in confusion. "Kids and teenagers love food" Alec whispered and the warlock just nodded, not without giving him an eyeroll, of course he knew that, he just wasn't expecting that. Once the food appeared on the table, he motioned to the couch, the boys shyly sitting next to each other as the adults sat on the two small armchairs.

"So? You live here? Alone? With your parents?" Magnus tried once they started eating.

"Here, with our dads" Max said proudly and Rafael clenched his jaw hard. His brother could give away too much information.

"And who are your dads?" Magnus asked curiously.

"Amazing persons. But I don't see why that matters, it is irrelevant and I'm not comfortable with sharing that since I could be putting them in danger" Rafael added.

"I thought you said you got lost?" Alec furrowed his eyebrows. "I can tell when someone is lying to me, young Shadowhunter"

Rafael groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had completely forgotten about that and he cursed under his breath for letting that slip.

"With all due respect sir, we-I don't know if we can trust you. I have to be cautious. I can't let anything happen to my family" he spoke in a low voice and looked at the ground.

"Okay" Alec nodded, he wasn't sure why he believed him. "Why don't you tell us your names?"

"I"m Max and this is Rafael" Max answered for his brother who seemed lost in his thoughts.

"I'm Magnus" he smiled. "No need to call me sir or anything like that. Just Magnus, alright?" maybe that would make them trust him and talk a bit more? He shrugged to himself, giving it a try.

"What institute are you in, Rafael?" asked Alec and when he got no reply he sighed, repeating the boy's name until he got his attention.

"S-sorry dad, what was the question?" Rafael looked up and then his eyes widened in horror. He bit his tongue, how could he be so stupid? "S-sir, I meant sir" he quickly added. "W-where is the bathroom? I need t-to use it i-if it's not much trouble" he stuttered out. Max giving him a confused look as he didn't completely understand the situation.

"Sure" Magnus stood up and walked to the bathroom door, opening it for the boy who quickly entered it, closing the door and sitting on the floor with his back against the wood. He let out a long groan, what the hell was wrong with him? He needed to compose himself and figure out what to do next if they didn't want their parents worried and angry.

"You know why your brother was freaking out?" Alec asked cautiously.

"My guess? Cause he called dad a stranger" Max shrugged and then, out of the blue, he asked. "What year is it?" His brother had said that they may be in an alternative universe, but what if they were in the same universe and they had travelled to the past? It could be a possibility.

"What?" They asked in unison, staring at the boy in shock.

"The year I-" he sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"You better start explaining yourself young man" Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"Rafe's gonna kill me if I say something else without consulting him" he said in a small voice. He couldn't lie to people that looked exactly like his parents.

"We won't let him" Magnus assured him and Alec gave the younger warlock a nod followed by an encouraging smile.

Max groaned and sighed, he rubbed his palms together and tried to look at them.

"I was trying to create a portal but it didn't look normal" he began, trying to be careful with his words. "It didn't give me the time to close it. It just took us? I mean it was unstable and it make us fell to the ground and dragged us. That's how we ended up here" he shrugged.

"And what does that have to do with your question?" Alec urged.

"Well..." he swallowed hard. They were going to think he was crazy and send him to an awful place. "Please don't think I'm crazy or that what I'm gonna say it's impossible”

"I've seen and heard a lot of things. So try me"

"My brother thinks we are in a different universe but I think that we might be in the past" he said slowly, he didn't want to repeat himself again for speaking fast.

"Oh my God, Max!" Rafael eyes went wide open as he heard his brother speaking. "Are you out of your freaking mind? Couldn't you just tell a little lie?" he growled as he smack the back of his head, causing the younger one to glare at him.

"Hey! Don't do that” Alec scolded. “I don't think you should be encouraging your brother to lie" He eyed the boy as he sat next to his brother. "Lying isn't gonna make your current situation any better"

"We don't know where we are. We don't know if we can trust you" Rafael said coldly. "We need to leave Max"

"But- I think it's safe here" he whined. "I don't wanna be on the streets"

"As far as I know they could be evil versions of them" he rolled his eyes.

"So you know us? From where you're from? That's why you say it’s safe?" Magnus asked Max, already knowing he would talk more than his brother.

"Yes" he nodded eagerly. "You're our-"

"Max!" Rafael snapped. "That's it"

"Why don't you stay for the night? And in the morning you decide what to do?" Magnus offered, hoping to break the tension between the brothers.

"Fine" the young Shadowhunter whispered after a long pause. "But we stay in the same room"

"Very well then" Magnus walked the kids to the spare room as Alec stayed in the living room, thinking about what had just happened. Once they were settled in the room, Magnus let them to have some space.

"You're staying tonight?" He asked Alec, waving his hand in front of his boyfriend to get his attention.

"Sure" he smiled up at him. "I'm not leaving you alone with two teenage boys"

"What do you think about this situation?"

"I don't know. I mean they could be from another dimension or time" he sighed.

"Or... They could be just messing with us"

"I don't think so"

"Me neither. I was just saying"

"I just feel odd.. Like.. I have this urge to protect them" Magnus frowned, he couldn't find the right words to describe it.

"Really? I thought I was the only one feeling that" he chuckled.

"Maybe tomorrow they'll tell us more. Although I think Max would've told us if it wasn't for Rafael" he hummed at the end and his boyfriend nodded in agreement.

"Let's go to bed, angel" he grabbed Alec's hand, pulling him up.

***

The next morning Rafael woke up early. He couldn't sleep anymore, he missed his parents and family like crazy and he was sure they were already searching for them. His parents were probably upset and worried and he couldn't help but feel guilty. He left the room quietly, he didn't want to wake his brother up. He walked on tiptoes to the kitchen, sighing when he realized it had different furniture and that everything was placed differently than back home, so he carefully began looking for a cup to make some coffee.

Alec hadn't been able to sleep during the whole night, his brain hadn't stopped working since last night events. He made his way out of the bed when he heard noise coming from somewhere in the apartment, he knew one of the boys was probably awake, so he decided to join them. He cleared his throat when he stepped into the kitchen, hoping he would notice him.

Rafael dropped the cup and it crashed loudly on the floor. He got scared, he wasn't expecting someone waking up that early. He got on his knees and started picking up the broken pieces, cutting his palm when he tried to quicken his movements.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were up. I didn't mean to break it" he said in a small voice, not looking up at Alec.

"I'm sorry for scaring you" Alec gave him an apologetic smile. "Let me help you"

"What happened here?" Magnus's voice asked and both Shadowhunters stopped what they were doing to look at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, I broke it" Rafael said and hissed in pain when a second piece got stuck in his hand.

Magnus snapped his fingers and the cup was in one piece again. He helped the young boy stand up and, without saying a word, he healed his hand.  "There. No harm done"

"Thank you" Rafael whispered as he looked at his hand sadly. His Papa used to heal him every time he would get hurt, even if it was a small cut, he would always do that.

Magnus realized he upset the boy and cursed under his breath. "I should've asked you before healing you without permission"

"It's fine" he shrugged. "It's just that-" he bowed his head down. He didn't want to give much information in case they were actually in the past, he had seen a lot of movies about time travel and the consequences could be catastrophic if they didn't handle it correctly. "Papa heals me all the time"

"So..." Alec cleared his throat. He had been smiling watching his boyfriend and the boy interact. "Your parents are warlocks?"

"Papa is a warlock, yes" Rafael nodded. "Dad's a Shadowhunter" he said proudly, the words slipping out of his mouth. He didn't miss the way Magnus and Alec looked at each other, hope and joy sparkling in their eyes. That was the moment he realized that family was important and everything for them, of course he knew that, but seeing it in their eyes and when they weren't even married was different.

"We'll better take care of you two properly. I don't think a warlock and a Shadowhunter would appreciate their children getting hurt" Magnus spoke and smiled at the young boy.

"Have you decided whether to stay or not?" Alec asked.

"We don't want to cause any trouble, sir" Rafael answered way too fast. Of course he wanted to stay, he felt safe.

"Please call me Alec" he smiled. "We can help you get to your parents. You'll be safe here"

Rafael nodded and both adults let out a sigh of relief although they hadn't noticed they were holding their breaths.

"Why don't you go and wake up your brother? Breakfast will be ready soon" the warlock informed.

Rafael nodded and walked past them, heading to their room. "I'm sorry about last night"

"Apology accepted" Alec nodded and watched him disappearing into the room.

"Don't you think you should ask me before inviting them to stay?" Magnus asked suddenly, tone cold and Alec froze in his spot, the smile on his face fading.

"I-I s-sorry I thought you-" he swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Had he read Magnus the wrong way? "Magnus I'm" he frowned, he couldn't even form a single sentence that would make sense.

"You what, Alec?" he raised an eyebrow and Alec looked down, avoiding his gaze.

"I'll take them with me then" he spoke as composed as he could. "I should've consulted with you before offering that, I'm sorry" he had his fists clenched and his voice was shaky. Alec's frown depended more when his boyfriend started to laugh.

"Don't panic love" he said softly and quickly pulled him in for a kiss. "I was just- I wanted to see your reaction"

"You're the worst" he groaned and poked Magnus' side playfully.

"Are you gonna inform it to the clave or we're gonna handle it?" Magnus asked, this time serious.

"I think we can handle it" he responded immediately, no hesistation in his voice.

Magnus gave him a little smile and kissed his cheek, making the Shadow hunter blush at the gesture. They spent the next minutes arguing about what they should and shouldn’t be getting for breakfast; while Rafael was struggling with trying to wake up his brother who was soundly asleep.

Magnus set the table, he summoned all the fruits he could think of and he was quite sure that he could feed an entire village with that amount of food. He also conjured up several types of drinks, he didn't know what they liked. Of course he could have asked, but that didn't thought didn't seem to reach his mind.

Alec went to the boy’s room and knocked on the door before coming in. He glanced at the bed Max was still sleeping in and chuckled, Rafael looked defeated and as soon as Alec put a foot inside the room, he stood up and walked towards him.

“Can you wake him up?” he pleaded, looking back and forth.

“I’ll try” the Shadowhunter nodded. He sat down on the bed and shook Max slightly, but that didn’t seem to change anything.

Magnus was watching them from the frame door with a big smile on his face. When his boyfriend was able to make the young warlock open his eyes, he couldn’t help but gasp at the words that left his mouth. He was sure he heard it wrong, that it was the lack of sleep talking but still. Alec’s eyes widened as he was in shock whilst Rafael looked like he was about to faint.

“Dad. I had the strangest dream ever” he made a pause and yawned softly. “I created a portal and Rafe and I went to a place that looked exactly like home but it wasn’t home because the decoration was different and you weren’t our parents. That’s crazy, don’t you think?” he asked at the end, oblivious of everyone reaction. “What? What did I say?” Max frowned as he got into a sitting position.

“Well we-“ Magnus cleared his throat and walked closer. “Did you- I- we-“ he couldn’t express himself properly, he didn’t even know what he was thinking.

“It wasn’t a dream Max” Rafael spoke and all eyes fell on him so he swallowed hard. “They aren’t our parents, they just look like them” he said, no hesitation in his voice as his eyes focused only on his brother, he didn’t want to know what the other two were thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you for your comments, kudos or just reading this story, it means a lot to me :3 For anyone that's interested, I'll be updating every Wednesday.
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments :)


	3. 3

“Where would they go on a Friday night?” Alec asked through gritted teeth. He was hoping the kids would be sleeping by now, but he couldn’t find them anywhere in the house. “Don’t give me that look!” He snapped, frowning at his husband.

“It’s not the first time they sneak out, and I thought we made it clear last time it happened that we wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior” Magnus let out a soft sigh as he tried to keep calm. He was tired from the mission, and he was looking forward to a bit of peace but his sons had a different idea.

Alec snorted, “If I remember correctly, you covered for them once so I’m not surprised they didn’t take us seriously.”

“Oh, so you’re blaming me?” Magnus crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at him. “Okay.” He added when the other gave him a small shrug.

They waited for more than five hours. It was almost 4 in the morning, and they had already called everyone they could’ve thought of to see if they were with them. They were aware of the fact that Jace and Clary or Simon and Isabelle would cover for them if they were in big trouble. Even Catarina had done that a few times but now neither of them knew where they were.

“What if they don’t want us as their parents?” Alec asked out of the blue and Magnus gave him a confused look, sure he had that fear as well but he knew that Max and Rafael couldn’t live without them.

  
“Why would you say that?” Magnus asked, sitting comfortably on the couch near his husband, naturally taking his hand into his own.

  
“Rafael and I… we had a disagreement” Alec looked down at their joined hands and smiled sadly.

  
“Like a normal father-son relationship.” He nodded although he was getting a bit worried. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll leave us or that we’ll abandon them.”

  
“It’s my fault. They’re gone because of me.”He said, not even listening to what his partner was saying.“I- Magnus we-“ He let out a shaky breath and turned his head to the side. He told his husband about the conversation he had had with their oldest son before he had to leave for the mission.

  
“From what you told me, it doesn’t seem like it’s your fault,” Magnus whispered and pulled Alec close to his chest, pressing a kiss to his forehead when he felt the other wrapping his arms around him. “And even if he’s mad at you, he couldn’t survive a day without you.”

  
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he mumbled against Magnus's chest. “He can’t live without you, but me?” He let out a bitter chuckle. “He made clear that he doesn’t want to speak or be around me.”

  
“Don’t say that. You know that’s not true.” Magnus frowned and squeezed him. Next, he glanced at his phone, neither of them had called back or answered his texts. “Has Max responded to you?”

  
The Shadowhunter grabbed his phone and shook his head. He had received texts from his siblings but not from his sons. What if they were lost? What if they got kidnapped, and that’s why they couldn’t answer? They had many enemies, so it was something that they should consider. But who would be stupid enough to mess with the children of the High Warlock and Head of the Institute?

  
“I’m gonna track them,” Magnus said and gently pushed Alec away from him, standing up.“I hope they’re together.”

  
*

  
It had been almost a week since the kids' disappearance. They hadn’t stopped seeking them and as a consequence, they didn’t remember the last time they had eaten or slept properly. They had informed it to their friends. Alec had even put an alert in the Institute, and he had tried tracking them with Jace but nothing seemed to work. Magnus had also tried several tracking spells, all in vain. It appeared that they had disappeared from the earth and couldn’t be found.

  
Magnus was sitting in the dining room. He was staring at his phone, writing more messages to their kids in the hope that they will reply. He was beyond furious, not at them but himself for not being able to recover them. He wanted them home as soon as possible; he didn’t even care what they had done now, he just wanted them home and safe as it should be. Not in an unknown place where they were likely on their own and scared. And just thinking of all that made his anguish worse.

  
Alec was at the Institute. He was trying to do his job as well, but he couldn’t concentrate, not without knowing where the kids were. He was sitting behind his desk, hands shakily grasping his head.

  
“Alec, I know you’re upset but please you have to eat and take care of yourself.” Jace insisted, pushing a plate of food to him.

  
“Leave me alone.” He muttered.

  
“You’re not gonna find them in that state, Alec. You can barely think or react to what’s happening around you!” His Parabatai continued.

  
“You don’t know how this feels like!” He finally snapped.

  
“But I know what you’re feeling!” He stood up and slammed his fists on the table to gain his attention. “What good is it gonna do to them when they return and find their father dead, huh? Tell me, Alec, because I can’t figure it out myself. So stop being stubborn and get your ass up. You’re gonna find them but not being like this.”

  
Alec looked up and glared at him. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just stood up and punched him straight in the face, breaking his nose in the process.

  
“Feel better?” Jace asked, holding his bloody nose as he blinked rapidly.

  
“Yeah…” Alec sighed loudly and then gave him a tiny apologetic smile. “I’m sorry… I’m just… This is too much Jace; I feel like I can’t go another day without them.”

  
“I know, believe me, I do but right now you have to be strong. If it’s not for you then do it for Magnus. He still hasn’t left the loft, has he?” He asked, already knowing the answer to that question.“Just go. We’ll handle the Institute.” He accompanied him to the door. “And I’ll let you know if we hear anything from them.”

  
“Thank you.” Alec nodded a bit and headed home.

  
He opened the door to the loft and immediately spotted Magnus in the dining room. “Did you have any luck?” He asked softly, hugging him from behind. He knew it was severe when he noticed he hadn’t even showered in the last couple of days.

  
“No…” His voice was barely audible.

  
Alec nodded and sat on the chair next to him and took his hands. “We’re gonna find them, Magnus...”

  
“Did you have to get into a stupid fight? Couldn’t you just take him with you to the damn mission?” He asked, looking at him furiously. His hands were shaking badly, and he was about to cry from all the frustration and anger he had been building up.

  
“Magnus I…” Alec frowned in confusion and looked down. “B-but you told me that-“ He swallowed hard, fighting his tears now.

  
“I know! But none of this would have happened if you let him do what every Shadowhunter his age is supposed to be doing!” He finally snapped.

  
“You know the reason Magnus, y-you can’t be serious right now.” He sniffed quietly and rubbed his eyes a bit.

  
“J-Just let me find them. On my own.” He added, shaking his head as he went back to staring at his phone.

  
Alec didn’t say anything as he just contemplated him. Now he was more convinced than ever that it had been his fault. That they would never see their children again because he had pushed them away as he did with every single person he had tried to form a relationship with.

  
Magnus slammed the table with both hands, red magic flying out of them. His cat eyes were on display as tears rolled down his cheeks. He gripped his phone angrily as he pressed the call button over and over. He didn’t hear Alec calling his name. He was too lost for that now.

  
“Papa?” Rafael's voice came loud and clear through the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I'm sorry it took me an eternity to update it, I had some trouble with my computer but now it's fixed and I can finally post it. Let me know if you liked it in the comments :3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! First I want to apologize to everyone who was reading this. I wasn't really feeling motivated to do anything and I stopped writing. But now I'm motivated again so I decided to come back. Also with the quarantine, I have more free time at home. I hope everyone is doing okay! :3
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, I'm not exactly satisfied with it but it was necessary to continue.

“It wasn’t a dream Max,” Rafael spoke, and all eyes fell on him. He swallowed hard, he has never enjoyed being the center of attention. “They aren’t our parents; they just look like them.” He said, no hesitation in his voice as his eyes focused only on his brother, he didn’t want to know what the other two were thinking.

“WHAT?!” Max sat up abruptly, hands shaking violently as he looked around for any signs of his brother playing some sort of game with him. However, as much as the place felt familiar, none of his things were there. “It can’t- What are we gonna do? How are we gonna get back?” He asked his brother as he brought his hands to his hair and began to pull at it, thinking it might help him figure things out. He soon felt his brother’s arms wrap around his body, trying to calm him down.

“Max I-…” Rafael was lost for words. He was alarmed by his brother’s behavior; he had never seen him freaking out like that.

Alec was unable to tear his eyes away from them. He believed them, but deep down he didn't want to. He had met Magnus about a year ago, but this was too much. As much as he wanted something like that with him, he knew the Clave wouldn't approve of it and didn't want to get his hope up for something that was unlikely to happen. He looked over at Magnus with a sad smile on his face before gazing down. He didn't listen any further, too lost in his own mind. 

Magnus was almost in a similar state as Alec but mostly shocked. He had never thought about having a family before, it was impossible, not only because he was a warlock but because he didn't believe someone would ever want to stay with him for that long. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he was qualified to be a parent. He turned his head in the direction of the two teenagers when he heard a sob. 

“Hey… It’s gonna be okay.” Rafael whispered, cupping his brother’s face to make him look at him. He had never seen him shaking like that in his life and right now he knew he had to be strong for his little brother and help him calm down. “We’re gonna get back home and this will feel like a nightmare. I promise.” He knew he shouldn’t be making those promises but he was the older for a reason.

“Perhaps if you explain a bit more about the situation, we might be able to help.” The warlock tried to maintain a relaxed tone, he didn’t want to freak them out more than they already were. 

“I don’t want them here!” Max said angrily, face hidden into his brother’s chest as he sobbed the words. 

“Could you…” Rafael began quietly. “Can you excuse us for a few minutes? We’ll explain later.” He told them, giving them an apologetic smile.

“Of course.” Alec nodded and stood up, pulling Magnus up and then guided him out of the room to give the kids some privacy.

“If what they’re saying it’s true and my understanding is correct, we have to protect them and keep them away from the Clave. If they somehow managed to travel back in time, there’s no way they won’t be questioned.” Said Magnus as a matter-of-fact, eyes locked on his boyfriend’s.

“I know what they’re like, Magnus. I’m not sending two kids to them. No matter who they are.” Alec replied in a soft tone. “We just need to find a way to help them. If they’re from the future and are trapped here, we don’t what the consequences could be. If there’s any.”

“That’s right. I know people who spent years, even decades of their lives trying to figure out if time travel is even a thing. We already know we can move between dimensions.” Magnus spoke as they walked to the living room. 

 

***

 

About an hour later, Max’s breakdown had stopped; he was ready to go out and face the situation. His eyes were red and puffy but he was feeling better now and that all that mattered. 

“Where’s Alec?” Max asked in a small voice when he noticed Magnus was in the living room on his own.

“He went to the institute. He’ll be coming home tonight and don’t worry, he won’t tell anyone about you.” Magnus looked up at them and smiled softly, he wanted them to trust him and feel safe in his apartment.

“Oh… okay then. C-Can we talk when he’s back?” Rafael asked, scratching the back of his neck as he looked around at the familiar place but yet it gave him a weird feeling. 

“Of course. I’ll be working in my office. You can hang out in the balcony, bedroom or kitchen. I’ll be having some clients, and it's for the best if you entertain yourselves in those places.” The warlock explained, hoping they wouldn’t get upset or mad that he was hiding them. It was for their own good and protection.

“Sure.” Max said, not thinking much of it since they were used to it. They couldn’t always go with Alec to the institute, and Magnus had urgent and dangerous clients to attend and they couldn't always be seen.

***

When Alec returned at night, Magnus and the kids were waiting for him, dinner ready. Alec wasn’t used to this, he and Magnus would usually think of what to do once he left work but it was nice to return to the place where he felt at home and just relax because everything was ready. It was strange at the same time; he wanted to believe so badly that they were their kids from the future but… What chances does one have to meet their teenage kids? None. At least that’s what he thought. 

They all agreed to discuss the situation after dinner to enjoy it as peaceful as possible. The kids were feeling more comfortable around them and actually enjoyed meeting that version of their parents, it was different. 

A few days went by, and they had discussed possible ways of getting the kids back to where they belonged. Research had involved not only reading old books but also contacting people that might know about time travel. 

When Rafael’s phone rang loudly, they looked at each other and went quiet at the same time. The boy pulled the phone out of his pocket and gasped, staring at it in shock as he saw the name on the screen.

“Answer it!” Max urged him.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Rafael accepted the call. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “Papa?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! This is my first time posting a fanfic, my love for Malec brought me here so I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writting. I don't really knoe what else to say, just let me know in the comments if you wanna read more ^-^
> 
> @Maleclightwoodbane1 I know I can't tag you buuut, I wanted to thank you here for giving me that not-so-tiny-push to start publishing this story, you're amazing! :3


End file.
